-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
No one seeks out a desert; its discovered after fleeing from hurt. Trust, a delicacy so brittle but given with much care and heart attached, is now fragmented. Hot, vivid images of betrayal crash into our psyche; the blood coursing through our body feels like lava. When we stop at last and look around, there's no life to be seen. No water, no vegetation, no sign of the oasis that was home. Though these new surroundings are alien, it feels better this way; isolation is the best policy. Sun and sand are our only companions. Now time can stitch the heart back together; however, no one lives in the desert for very long. After much wondering in the desert, a miracle happens. Someone possesses and shows pity, bringing us back to civilization. However, we are not the same. Jadedness has seeped in and dried up the well of hope and goodwill. Our voice carries cynicism, our eyes are void of any compassion. Jadedness casts harsh shadows and colors perception black and white. All of this came from caring too much; now, we don't stick our neck out for anybody.
Once a upon a time, Rick fought against tyranny but now, he stews away in the desert; jadedness long sapping him of any passion. The refugees reek of desperation; there's no time to be jaded. Casablanca is the land between dream fulfillment and failure. Rick's jaded false face, though convincing, does not hold up and comes off more often than he cares to admit. At the beginning of the film, Rick refuses to allow a German banker access into his cafe. Ilsa, the person responsible for his flight in the first place, arrives and rips off Rick's facade. Rick's atrophied heart beats once more. It's amazing how as time goes by, old wounds thought healed again ache. She arrives in Casablanca with her husband, a renowned leader who's key in turning the tide in World War II. Rick fights his desire to not hurt anymore versus the need for his life to mean something. Helping Ilsa amounts to something bigger than himself but jadedness continues to convince himself of something he doesn't believe in his heart.
Trust, a delicacy so brittle but given with much care and heart attached, is very dangerous. When we trust people, we also give them permission to hurt us. When trust is destroyed, we flee into the desert to live in isolation. Though sensible, living in isolation is a slow death. Rick could not live adrift in Casablanca without affecting others. At some point, those tattered pieces of heart scab over and heal. Though the scars are visible, it doesn't change the functionality of the heart and its still the same after the scabs fall away. Jadedness is a vital part of the healing process, it is not the end. Wonder in the desert long enough and a well is found. Live long enough and pain will find us all. Separating pain from life is akin to separating fertile soil from a tree, we need pain to grow; it's better to feel pain and know we're alive than it is to feel nothing and not know we're dead. We're going to have to endure pain and jadedness but after healing comes the time to live, love, and begin beautiful friendships.
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